Instant Pot Dal Soup is easily made in the electric pressure cooker for a delicious vegan split pea soup with curry spice.
Instant Pot Dal Soup
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
Instant Pot Dal Soup is my recipe of the day for the blogging event Veganuary!
I am not a vegan but I do like eating every type of food. So I will surf from dinners serving meat to vegetarian dinners to vegan dinners and back again. It’s all good.
Todays recipe is for toor dal soup using the Instant Pot. Toor dal are also known as yellow split peas. In some places also called toover dal. These cook up nicely in the pressure cooker.
I have included two ways to cook them. The first adds spices as you go. The other prepares a tomato-onion masala cooking blend that you add one cup of the mix instead of measuring out spices and all that . You choose which one you like.
The tomato-onion masala is an extra cooking step, but it makes extra so you can freeze it in zippie bags and have it ready to go. It has a superior flavor so that is why you would want to do this.
Besides being used in the dal, you can also use the masala to flavor curries.
The dal soup is good served as a first course, as it is probably too light to be a full meal. Unless you supplement with things like roti or tandoori nan breads.
Or perhaps you just feel like eating light, as I sometimes like to do at lunch. A bowl of dal soup and a samosa suit me fine.
Veganuary
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- Cranberry Coffee Cake by This Wife Cooks
- Creamy Vegan Spiced Carrot Soup by Chickpea & Herb
- Easy Vegan Mac & Cheese with Broccoli by Simple And Savory
- Favorite Pumpkin Quinoa Waffles with Pecans by Melissa Traub
- Hara Bara Kebab by FoodTrails25
- Raspberry Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal Muffins by Return to the Kitchen
- Roasted Banana Almond Butter Breakfast Cookies by Shockingly Delicious
- Sweet Potato Patties by Flavours Treat
- Tofu Benedict with Hemp Hollandaise by Upbeet Kitchen
- Vegan Chickpea Shawarma in the Air Fryer by Kate’s Recipe Box
- Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches by My Kitchen Stories
- Instant Pot Dal Soup by Palatable Pastime (You are Here!)
- Vegan Cinnamon Rolls (Tangzhong Method) by The Urben Life
- Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Muffins by Messy Vegan Baker
Instant Pot Dal Soup
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Instant Pot Dal Soup

Instant Pot Dal Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 large onion minced
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 2 teaspoons cumin seed
- 1-1/2 cups toor dal
- 6 cups water
- pinch asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
Instructions
- Note: I occasionally make this with Tomato-Onion masala if I have some prepared- to do that, substitute one cup of the tom-onion masala in lieu of everything except the water and the toor dal. See the recipe for this below this recipe.
- Saute the onion , garlic, nustard seed and cumin seed in the Instant Pot on the browning setting.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir.
- Cover with lid and seal the vent.
- Cook at 30 minutes at pressure on manual/high.
- Allow steam to reduce without using the quick release so it doesn't clog the valve.
- Open pot when steam has subsided (it won't open if there is still pressure).
- Puree with a stick blender to make it as smooth as you like.
Notes
Tomato-Onion Masala (for cooking)
My tomato-onion masala is a quick seasoning I sometimes use instead of spices and onions, etc. You would basically make this in advance and keep portions in the freezer.
It is actually my preferred way to make this curry soup.
I have kept the recipe separate from the dal so no one gets confused. You can always make it with spices from scratch. It all depends if you had time to make the masala ahead.

Tomato-Onion Seasoning Masala
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
1 quart seasoning masala:
- 1-1/2 pounds sliced onions
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee
- 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1-1/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon mustard seed
- 2 tablespoons fenugreek powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Saute the onions, in the coconut oil or ghee until browned using the sear setting.
- Add the canned tomatoes, water, ginger and garlic.
- Place lid on cooker and set to seal.
- Cook at pressure/high for 15 minutes.
- Use the quick release.
- Stir in the remaining spices and puree with a stick blender.
- Package in one cup increments for the freezer.
- Use one cup of the tomato-onion masala in the dal recipe instead of the listed spices.
Notes
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This curry soup sounds like a winner! Simple, hearty, and delicious. I’m a fan! Thank you for joining us! 🙂
This sounds like the perfect weeknight soup! I’m excited to try it. 🙂
As soon as it gets a little cold outside it is soup time at my house! I love finding new and creative soup recipes. Love how easy the Instant Pot make things.
This sounds so flavorful and filling!
what a great idea to use lentils. Spiced and so delicious. I wish I had it for lunch tomorrow
This is right up our alley! I’ve made it a goal to use our pressure cooker more often this year. Can’t wait to try this soup.
No instant pot here but I love all the flavors in this soup and can’t wait to try it in the slow cooker or stove top
Yum! I love all the spices used in this soup!
I am always looking for soup recipes, and pinning this one to try soon. It looks so hearty and filling!
Ooh soups are such a staple in my routine, I must try this–sounds so warming and comforting!!
It’s freezing here so this is on my list of meals this week.
Dal soup is one of my family favourites, making it in an instant pot is a breeze. I’ll definitely try this recipe in IP.
Toor dal is one of our favourite lentils and love to have it steamed rice. loved your version of soup// and making it in instant pot is such a breeze. the recipe is so simple and so delicious